Bomb Chicken

A platformer where you play a plump chicken that can’t jump? Yep, this one’s a good one. What your character lacks in athleticism, they make up in destructive potential. With a press of a button, you lay an egg. Not a usual egg, a bomb. By laying the bomb your character is displaced upwards, now sitting on said explosive. And the fuse is lit.

What I love so dearly about this game is that every stylistic decision has a meaningful gameplay impact. The fact that you are able to lay bombs makes up for the inability to jump - but it also means that you can’t stay close to your improvised stepladder for too long. Or it explodes. And you with it.

The second layer to this mechanic is that when a bomb explodes next to another, it creates a chain reaction that speeds up the process. This is what makes this platformer fast and frantic. You’re asked to perform increasingly more complex platforming antics in limited spaces and every spot you just stood on is now a zone of immediate danger that you need to leave. Or you end up as fried chicken.

The story backdrop is your mission to topple a fried chicken manufacturer whose repurposed Mayan temple factory you hatch in. This tour through the different layers of the factory takes you through multiple biomes, each with their own mechanical twist. It is a hard game, especially the later levels. But that only makes completing it that much more rewarding. Don’t sleep on this one!